Opportunity Wales eCommerce Glossary
[A - F]
The following glossary will be of use to Opportunity Wales Web site users. It contains the more commonly used terms, and is aimed at SMEs who are existing or potential eCommerce users.
A
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line. ADSL is the format of connection used by BT to upgrade standard telephone lines to broadband.
Alta Vista
.
AOL
Apple
The manufacturer of the Macintosh range of computers. The operating system used on Macintosh computers is called MacOS.
Applet
A small program that can be embedded in a Web page for some extra functionality, such as scrolling text. Applets are often written in a programming language called Java. Most Web browsers contain a Java interpreter, called a Java Virtual Machine.
ASCII
American Standard Code for Information Interchange - the basis for character sets used in all present day computers.
ASP
1.Application Service Providers - A company that rents access to software and services that businesses might otherwise purchase and configure for themselves.
2.Active Server Pages – a method of creating dynamic Web pages using scripts and HML within the Microsoft Web server. Similar to CGI.
Audio Conferencing
A bureau service provided by telephone service providers such as BT, which can allow you to have a telephone conference call involving several people in different locations.
Authentication
The name of the process to verify the identity of a user as they log onto a network.
B
Bandwidth
A measure of the speed of a data transmission, or the volume of data a line or channel can carry every second. Digital bandwidth is measured in bps (bits per second).
Banner
An area on a Web page used for placing advertising.
Blog
See Weblog.
BPS (bits per second)
The rate at which one bit can be carried, normally expressed in thousands, Kbps, or millions, Mbps.
Broadband
Communication speeds at a bandwidth greater than 2 Mbps.
Browser
Software used to look at pages on the World Wide Web. The two most common browsers are Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla. Browsers are usually provided free of charge.
C
Card Not Present (CNP)
This refers to sales by credit / debit cards that are made when the card is not present at the point of sale e.g. mail order, Web forms.
CGI (Common Gateway Interface)
Common Gateway Interface. An intermediary piece of software that sits on the Web server and interprets content from a database into a Web page. This means that the Web content is dynamic, in that it is continually processed through CGI software and a database, rather than static via HTML files.
Chargeback
If a cardholder disputes a transaction on his/her statement with their card issuer, that is valid. The amount of the transaction may be charged back to the retailer who took the payment.
Chat room
A virtual room where many users can talk about various topics.
Client/server
A type of network that has a powerful main computer (known as the server) and a number of computers linked to it (known as the clients).
CMS
Content Management System. Software which allows for the advanced management of Web content, including author and version control. CMS software usually requires the installation of a database and CGI.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Systems are packaged software solutions for front office functions such as customer contact, sales, marketing, accounts receivable, etc. As implied by the name, they include the customer in the business processes being managed.
D
Dial Up
A connection to an ISP over the normal telephone network, using a modem.
DNS
Domain Name System. The system that locates the numerical IP addresses corresponding to a particular computer, such as a Web server, that is connected to the Internet.
Domain Name
A unique name that identifies a Web site, and relates to the numerical IP address of each Website, which is more difficult to remember.
E
eCommerce
eCommerce covers any form of business or administrative transaction, or information exchange between a company and the outside world, which is executed using any information and communication technology. The use of eCommerce within SMEs will vary and there is no one single eCommerce solution.
eCatalogue
In simple terms it provides an electronic equivalent of an empty paper catalogue that can then be populated with your own product details, allowing customers to make purchases on-line using a shopping basket.
EDI (Electronic Data Interchange)
Is a method of trading, frequently imposed by larger trading partners, in which traditional trading documents such as orders, invoices, delivery schedules, etc., are exchanged by electronic means using a common format from one computer system to another, rather than in paper form.
eMail
Short for electronic mail.
Encryption
A means of 'scrambling' information so that only the intended recipient can read it.
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)
Packaged software solutions systems for back office functions such as accounts payable, payroll, human resources, financials and manufacturing. They often include the supplier in the business processes being managed.
Extranet
Private wide area networks that run on public protocols with the goal of fostering collaboration and information sharing between organisations. A feature of Extranets is that companies can allow certain guests to have access to internal data on a controlled basis.
F
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Favourites
Favourites or Bookmarks are small files retained through the Web browser which can store Web addresses.
Firewall
A piece of hardware or software which restricts access from a network (usually the internal network of a large company) and the general Internet.
Flash
A multimedia authoring suite from Macromedia. Many Web sites now feature Flash content, and many Web browsers contain features to play Flash files (‘Flash movies’). Flash is traditionally used for vector graphics (graphics based on linear geometry) but is increasingly being used for video and audio.
FTP (File Transfer Protocol)
Used for transferring files from one computer to another, and is the usual way of uploading Web pages to a server.
FUD
Fear Uncertainty and Doubt is a method used by salesmen by providing misleading information.
|
